Graduate Council Annual Report, 2019-2020



Graduate Council Annual Report, 2019-2020Graduate Council MembersFaculty MembersCara Nelson, Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences (2020) – Co-ChairSara Rinfret, Public Administration and Policy (2021) - Co-ChairKelly McKinnie, Mathematics (2020)David Schuldberg, Psychology (2020)Simona Stan, Management & Marketing (2020)Nadia White, Journalism (2020)Ekaterina Voronina, Division of Biological Sciences (2021)Mike Mayer, History (2020)Curtis Noonan, Public & Community Health (2022)Eric Reimer, English (2021)Michael DeGrandpre, Chemistry (2022)Mike, Murphey, Theatre (2020)- fallGraduate Students:?Cierra Anderson??Hallee Kansman??Gray O'ReillyEx-Officio MembersScott Whittenburg, Vice President, Research and Creative Scholarship and Dean of the Graduate SchoolAshby Kinch, Associate Dean of the Graduate SchoolMaricel Lawrence, Executive Director UM Online (added this year)Curriculum Subcommittee MembersHumanitiesEric Reimer, English? (Chair)Mike Mayer, History SciencesMichael DeGrandpre, Chemistry (Chair)Kelly McKinnie, MathematicsEkaterina Voronina, DBSSocial SciencesDavid Schuldberg, Psych (Chair)Sara Rinfret, Public Administration & Policy Curtis Noonan, Public & Community HealthProfessional SchoolsSimona Stan, Management & Marketing (Co-Chair)Nadia White, Journalism (Co-Chair)Michael Murphy, Media Arts –fall onlyDIS Oversight Committee MembersKelly McKinnie, MathematicsCara Nelson, Ecosystem and Conservation SciencesDavid Schuldberg, PsychologyKyle Volk, HistoryMichael DeGrandpre, ChemistryDIS Admissions Committee MembersDavid Schuldberg, Psychology (Chair) (2020)John Quindry, Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training (2021)?Ben Colman, Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences (2021)Kirsten Murray, Counseling (2021)Committee ChargePromote, review, and evaluate graduate programs to ensure vitality, currency, and quality;Review and make recommendations on all requests for new programs, for deletions of programs, and for curriculum additions or changes by departments and schools;Consider suggested changes in Graduate School regulations;Consider issues raised by graduate students relating to regulations of specific graduate programs or their welfare;Initiate and supervise interdisciplinary graduate programs in response to national, regional, or state needs, or to the desires and needs of sufficient numbers of graduate students;Decide on substantive matters relating to graduate programs, curricula, general Graduate School regulations, awards and scholarships, etc., and forward decisions to the Graduate School, Faculty Senate, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs as appropriate.Annual Curriculum ReviewThe Graduate Council acted on 126 proposals including 1 level II and 7 level I proposals, 11 program modifications, 25 new course), and 6 course deletion. There were a few minor changes considered in the spring do to carry-over or special circumstances. These are included in the totals above. The Co-chairs held a curriculum review training session for the subcommittees this year on September 11th. The Council organizes the review according to discipline and 4 subcommittees (humanities, professional schools, science, and social science). Once the deadline has passed the distribution of proposals is considered. Typically some are moved to other subcommittees to more evenly distribute the workload, otherwise the professional schools subcommittee reviews 2-3x more proposals than other subcommittees. The Council organizes the review according to discipline and divides review assignments among four subcommittees: humanities, professional schools, science, and social science. In order to balance the workload, some proposals are moved among subcommittees; otherwise the professional schools subcommittee reviews 2-3x more proposals than other subcommittees. At the start of the semester (September 11th), the Co-chairs held a curriculum review training session for subcommittee chairs to communicate the goals and objectives of the review process, where to access files, and the deadlines for completing reviews.The Memorandum of Understanding to create a 4+1 BA/MPA Program (UM and Carrol College).Academic Program Form -Level I 4+1 program in Wildlife Biology and Public AdministrationHelping Skills Certificate (Counseling)Advising Certificate (Teaching & Learning)Retitle certificate from Child Welfare to Human Services (Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development)Data Visualization Certificate (Interdisciplinary within College of Humanities and Science)Re-titling MA from Philosophy to Environmental PhilosophyTerminate MA in PhilosophyAcademic Program Form -Level IIOccupational Therapy DoctorateThe Council previously approved the proposal when it was for a MS in collaboration with Billings. Billings has now dropped out and the industry standard is for a doctorate, so the proposal has been revised. Curriculum proposals not approvedThere were concerns that units are co-convening G and UG courses. The Council is uncertain that this is a desired practice and is reviewing policy. The proposal to create GEO 533 Advanced Global Tectonics to co-convene with GEO 433 UG Global Tectonics was withdrawn. NASX 521 Indigenous Knowledge was pulled from the agenda, due to concern by the Environmental Studies (EVST) Program about the similarity of the course title to EVST’s Indigenous Knowledge & Environmental Sustainability?graduate focus area. EVST and NAS agreed to revise the title of NAS 521 to Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Methods in Higher Education, with the short title, Indigenous Education.Program ReviewsThe Council was tasked with reviewing 16 programs during the 19.20 AY – a larger than normal, due to postponing the reviews last year to focus on APASP. Prior to starting the review process, Graduate Council Co-chairs met with Vice Provost Nathan Lindsey to discuss how to maximize benefits to the University from the program review process. The Vice Provost provided examples of previous review documents for Graduate Council members to use as guidance. The Council completed 8 program reviews (Chemistry and Biochemistry; Physical Therapy; Geosciences; Public Administration; Psychology; Philosophy; Anthropology; and Sociology. Two program reviews are pending (Geography; and Speech, Language & Pathology). Six programs for which reviews were scheduled were missing documents (external review or self- study); these reviews will be postponed (Music, Mathematical Sciences, Wildlife Biology, Environmental Studies, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, and Pharmacy Practice).Graduate Council members identified several themes of concern that cut across all program reviews. First, all reviewed programs are facing issues with program delivery due to lack of adequate faculty. The loss of faculty in the staffing plans was attributed to the focus on undergraduate student credit hours. Any new budget model must appropriately weight graduate FTE. The Council discussed the need to do a synthetic analysis of issues in graduate program delivery across program reviews.Procedure and Policy Review ItemsRevised Co-Convening Guidelines (Procedure 301.30) 11/14/19Graduate School Policies to allow Accelerated Master Programs 11/14/19Revisions to the Bertha Morton Applications procedures (appended) required the Bertha Morton procedure to be updated. The Council approved the revised Program Move Guidelines: Program Move Form/ Fiscal Analysis (4/16/20)Policy revisions in response to COVID-19: B2.200?- Credit grades are not included in grade point calculations, but may apply toward degree requirements when earned in courses offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis. For Spring 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, graduate students may elect to take any graduate level course or any 400-level UG course on a Credit/No Credit (Cr/NCr) basis, rather than a traditional grade. The only exception is that the Cr/NCr will NOT apply to courses for which all requirements were due before spring break (10-week or shorter courses). Cr credits will not count toward GPA, but will count toward degree requirements. Students must consult with their academic advisors before making this decision, as different programs will have different concerns about long-term implications of non-graded courses on their transcripts (professional certification, employment opportunities, etc). Faculty will provide traditional grades as normal, but students can elect to opt for “Cr” for grades of C and above; grades of C- or lower will be awarded NCr. Students have the option of choosing Credit/No Credit grading for any number of their courses up to seven calendar days after their final grade is posted to their transcript by the Registrar.Other Business Items: The Council considered three programs recommended by the Graduate School to include in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) A second call for program applications was sent given a late submission and interest from other programs. The following programs were recommended by the Graduate School and affirmed by Graduate CouncilCounseling (Masters./ PhD) English Literature (MA)Computer Science (MS)Creative Writing (MA)Geography (M.S.)Integrated Physiology and Athletic Training (M.S.)Speech, Language, Hearing and Occupational Sciences? (M.S. / PhD)The request to waive the GRE for Anthropology was approved. Given this is a national trend, the Council decided its Procedure 302.10 which requires additional documentation if the GRE is eliminated should be revised. The Bertha Morton funds ($184,000) were split equally between scholarships to current students and recruitment scholarships. The percentage to each type of award will be decided each year. In addition, the amount of the recruitment awards will be decided each year. Recruitment scholarship award details:Programs notified of opportunity to nominate students: February 5thDeadline for programs to submit nominations: March 8thTotal funds available: $90,000 with the understanding that any unused funding could be used for additional scholarship/fellowship awards or be retained in the fund for the following year. Amount of awards: $3,000 for MS students and $5,000 for PhD student. Each program may nominate their top student (Masters or PhD) with one alternate. The nomination materials should include:Qualifications based on Bertha Morton Scholarship criteriaTest scores / GPA Letter detailing students strength in applicant pool and statement describing how the scholarship will help recruit studentThe Evaluation Committee will consist of Associate Dean Kinch, Graduate Council Co-Chairs, and VP Whittenburg if needed. Scoring will be on a 1-5 scale. If a program’s top candidate does not accept, the Graduate School will offer the scholarship to the next candidate in the ranked list. The Council will survey programs after the process is complete to inform the process next year. Thirty five recruitment awards applications were received by the Graduate School. The Graduate School sent 13 masters and 13 doctoral level Bertha Morton Recruitment award offers. Bertha Morton Scholarships: 60 nominations were received. Application materials were available in Academic Works. Each of the four subcommittees reviewed 15 applications. Twenty-eight scholarships were approved, with the remaining $6,000 returning to the fund in anticipation of much lower balance next year given the recent stock market crash due to COVID-19. The Council developed a list of items to consider for scholarship review next year, including revisiting whether the subcommittee structure is the best way to distribute the applications in the future. Co-Chair Nelson drafted a TA/RA salary resolution. . It was discussed and revised at three Graduate Council meetings and via email. After revision, the proposal was discussed with ECOS prior to finalizing. The final resolution was unanimously approved by Council and delivered as a seconded motion for discussion at the last Faculty Senate meeting on April 23rd. Co-Chair Sara Rinfret served on the Micro-credential Taskforce formed by ECOS and provided an update and draft procedure at the April 15th Council meeting. This was recommended to move forward in pilot phase to Faculty Senate.The Council engaged in a discussion about the need for contingency planning based on the various possible scenarios for adjustments required for COVID-19 next semester. It decided a listening session was needed for Graduate Program Directors, faculty and students. The GPSA scheduled a graduate and professional student listing session for Friday April 24th. It will report the concerns to the Graduate Council and the Graduate School. The Mission Based Team is holding a listening session and sent a survey to all faculty. The Graduate School sent a survey to graduate program directors. The Council would also like there to be a consistent messaging to reassure students and others. The DIS annual report (appended) was approved by the DIS Oversight Committee and shared with Graduate Council at its last meeting April 29th. Other Communication ItemsUMOnline Executive Director Maricel Lawrence provided an overview of UM’s Online services and the current status of the Master Service Agreement (not yet finalized) with Wiley, the Online Program Management Company selected through a RFP process. Wiley is currently working with several initial programs identified by the academic deans and chairs. Wiley completed initial projections for the programs they met with over the summer. Executive Director Lawrence is reaching out to the programs to discuss projections and encouraging consideration of tuition rates appropriate for the market and how to admit students. VP Whittenburg provided information about the third tuition level at 150% of in-state tuition available for graduate students. This is for students who do not qualify for Research or teaching assistantship waivers, which have specific qualifications for work. Departments can also petition for students with scholarships to be added to the Dean Merit Award program.The Graduate School is meeting with vendors for application processing. The University is changing to CollegeNet for undergraduate applications and there are discussions of whether the vendor should be used for graduate applications. It is a much better system with the capacity to build marketing and communication plans specialized by departments, and has an automated tracking system which functions similar to a CRM. However, it is expensive. Kelly Speer is attending demonstrations by CollegeNet to consider the cost benefit. CourseDog should help streamline several functions of the Registrar’s Office. Hopefully curriculum forms will be available in CourseDog for next fall’s curriculum review. Members were informed of the Student Reference Authorization Form. It is required to be in compliance with FERPA. The Council discussed but tabled co-convening versus UG courses. Graduate students that take 400-level courses that do not have the UG designation will not receive graduate credit. Programs determine the number of 500-level courses required. Whether or not to offer UG or co-convened courses may affect SCH and program outcomes in the new budget model. Whether or not to offer UG or co-convened courses may affect SCH and program outcomes in the new budget model. Associate Dean Kinch noted that if the new budget model weights graduate courses it may only be possible for co-convened courses. The Council discussed the potential for the University’s budget model to adversely affect graduate education. The Council may want to send a letter or meet with the members of the Academic Budget Subcommittee to stress the importance of giving appropriate credit for the additional time involved in teaching and mentoring graduate students. The GPSA drafted a letter to the administration requesting an increase to the stipends. This letter was discussed in the context of the TA salary survey results and the resolution approved by the Council. The Graduate School was concerned that the hiring freeze would apply to TAs. VP Whittenburg asked for an exception. The Council was informed that current outstanding student offers will be honored, but there is no guarantee that a line not filled will be available. The number of TA/RAs is the same as last year. AppendixBertha Morton Application MaterialsComplete the University of Montana general application available at:?. ?You will then be able to select the Bertha Morton opportunity.Although the UM scholarship system requires several items, the only items reviewed for this application include: Upload a personal statement (maximum of 500 words) describing why you would be the best candidate to receive an award and how you embody the values and work of Bertha Morton. Upload a Resume, CV, or Statement of Achievements and Activities, that includes: professional certifications and credentials, honors and awards, research and creative scholarship, work experience, and university, professional, and community service (no page limit). *A student who previously received a Bertha Morton award and seeks an additional nomination, should limit their statement of achievements and activities to items not specified on the materials submitted with the previously awarded application. Indicate which faculty member within the department should write the letter of recommendation. Faculty in the departments and schools will review the submitted applications and choose which applicant(s) to nominate based on the number allowed by the Graduate School, which is based on enrollment numbers. The department will then submit a letter of nomination (per student suggested preference indicated in their application) to?kelly.speer@umontana.edu?for their selected applicants by?March 2nd?at 4:30 p.m.The Graduate Council will evaluate and rank all nominations for scholarship or fellowship awards based on letters of recommendation provided for the General Scholarship, the student’s personal statement, and the student’s academic record and accomplishments in the following areas:Honors and awardsProfessional certifications and credentialsResearch, creative scholarship, and other academic activities and achievementsWork experienceProfessional, university, and community activities and achievementsAll candidates will be notified no later than April 15th?regarding the status of the application. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download